If you currently own a hot hatchback like a Volkswagen Golf R or a sporty sedan like a Subaru WRX STI and want a more premium upgrade, your best bet would have been the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG. Too bad you will have to settle for the outgoing CLA. Mercedes has revealed the 2020 CLA but the AMG versions have yet to be announced in the US. There will be a 300-horsepower 35 AMG version as well as a 400-plus hp 45 AMG variant. Until those two cars arrive, the 291-hp Audi S3 and 400-hp RS3 are the ultimate luxury sub-compact sedans on the market in the US - until BMW enters the fray.

Even though BMW has decided not to sell the new FWD-based 1 Series in the US, the folks at Bavaria may finally give us the compact sedan of our dreams in the form of the new 2 Series Gran Coupe.

In BMW parlance, a Gran Coupe is a four-door car with a coupe-like body line and a liftback hatchback. We've seen plenty of spy shots of the upcoming 2 Series Gran Coupe, which should be a compelling rival to the Mercedes CLA. While the base 2 Series will likely produce 228 hp from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, BMW Blog claims the most potent version will pack 300 hp from the X2 M35i. The 2 Series will be based on a FWD platform but according to BMW Blog, all US-spec cars will have xDrive AWD mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Sources in Munich say the 2 Series Gran Coupe is expected to be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and arrive as a 2020 model in the US. 0-60 mph in the X2 M35i takes just 4.9 seconds, so we expect the smaller 2 Series to be even quicker. Having driven the X2, we are extremely excited to see the same drivetrain make its way into a smaller vehicle with a lower ride height.